Leadership has always been a hotly debated topic and continues to be a prime business issue for several organizations.Can leadership be taught?Is the leadership skill portable?What makes a leader?Is a leader born or made?Can we teach our followers to become leaders?

In modern times,taking control of one’s life has become extremely important skill.This skill is often referred to as personal leadership.Key components of personal leadership are Self awareness,self regulation,motivation,social competence and empathy.The first three components relate to private victory.Next two components relate to public victory.Public victory follows private victory.Can these skills be taught and mastered or are they related to genes of a person?I think these skills can be mastered through education and experience.

There are three basic ways to explain how people become leaders.Some personality traits may lead people naturally into leadership roles.Secondly a crisis or important event may cause a person to rise to the occasion,which brings extraordinary leadership qualities in an ordinary person.Lastly people can choose to become leaders.People can learn leadership skills.Leadership is a prerogative of every individual.Every person by nature wants to make things happen.

In today’s era change is the only constant thing.Companies need real change leaders.These change leaders share some common skills.They are always committed to find a better way.They have courage to challenge existing norms.They take initiative to break through established boundries.They are highly motivated themselves and create excitement,energy and momentum in the people around them.Real change leaders are fair-minded and help each person achieve their full performance potential.A critical mass of such real change leaders is vital to any institution pursuing major change.Demand for such change leaders far exceeds supply.What is the solution?A rigorous,high priority development and support effort to build these skills by top management can make the difference between being in short supply and attaining critical mass.

Effective leadership starts with the individual,working from inside out. To lead successfully a person must demonstrate various essential traits.These traits can be systematically developed.Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self study,education,training and experience.